Machines for vending newspapers or magazines one at a time to customers following the insertion of proper coins are broadly known in the prior art. To comply with the duty to disclose the known prior art under 37 C.F.R. 1.56, the following relevant U.S. Pat. Nos. are made of record in this application: 2,854,168; 2,926,814; 3,168,212; 3,263,859; 3,917,114; 3,934,754.
The chief drawback of known prior art devices for vending newspapers and magazines one at a time is the necessity for designing and manufacturing a commercial machine which is substantially totally new. The prior art proposals have been such that their mechanisms are not well suited for manufacturing as an attachment or kit for ready economical installation in existing vending machines in the field, of which there are thousands, and in newly manufactured machines of the most common types in wide usage.
It is the objective of this invention to fulfill the need for a simple and economical conversion kit of mechanism which can be easily installed in most existing common types of vending machines with only very minor modification of such machines and with no requirement for constructing or designing a completely new machine. The mechanism embodied in the kit is capable of installation in different positions on different types or models of vending machine cabinets to enable the dispensing of single newspapers from a stack one at a time through a slot in the front, side or top of the machine as the particular case may be.
In terms of its most basic elements, the invention embodies a simple reciprocating slide and guide track means which is installed on one wall of the dispensing cabinet internally. Part of the slide structure consists of a spring-urged manually activated and cam released single newspaper gripping, transporting and release device which broadly resembles a human hand. The slide structure is also spring-urged to a retracted position within the machine cabinet while an operating hand lever therefore extends exteriorly of the cabinet at all times. The slide structure is positively connected with a normally locked reciprocatory control element of the coin mechanism which is released to enable movement of the slide structure only after the insertion of proper coins in the coin mechanism by customers.
The invention additionally includes simplified means to automatically release the door of the dispenser to provide access to the final newspaper or magazine usually held on the door after the main stack of newspapers has been exhausted. A means is also included in the invention to facilitate reloading the cabinet by a distributor or courier at proper times, and this latter means operates in conjunction with a spring-urged elevator or stack shifting shelf within the dispensing cabinet. A simple anti-theft device is also included to prevent customers from reaching through the dispensing slot and removing papers by hand and a key-operated adjusting means for the newspaper gripping and transporting device is provided so that the device can accommodate papers or magazines of different thicknesses.
Other features and advantages of the invention over the prior art will become apparent during the course of the following description.